VICEPRESIDENT POST: BJD TO BACK GANDHI
NAIDU VS GANDHI Venkaiah seeks Vajpayee’s blessings before filing nomination, even as opposition parties debate whether they would have gained if Gandhi was fielded for President
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has announced support for the Opposition’s vice-presidential candidate, Gopalkrishna Gandhi. “The decision by the CM to support Gandhi was unanimous and all party MPs will vote for him,” said Rajya Sabha BJD MP Pratap Deb. ››
NEWDELHI: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik sprung a surprise on Tuesday by supporting Go pal krishna Gandhi in the vicepresidential election, giving Opposition the comfort of 28 more seats in the contest, which is heavily tilted in favour of NDA nominee, Venkaiah Naidu.
Patnaik’s support comes days after the Congress claimed that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar assured that he too will support Gandhi, fielded by 18 opposition parties. Both leaders sided with the NDA forp residential election, and opposition parties see winning their votes for Gandhi as an “achievement”.
The support of the two C Ms has reignited a debate in the Opposition quarters that if Gopalkrishna Gandhi was fielded in the presidential election, more votes would have been Opposition’s favour. “I fwe had atleast named our presidential candidate before N DA did, we could have got these votes ,” said a Left leader .“Gandhi is the best candidate as vicepresident. For some posts, people should look beyond partisan politics ,” said BJD’ s Lok Sabha leader Bhartruhari Mahtab.
While the Congress is believed to be wooing some smaller parties, AIADMK and Telugu-speaking parties like Telangana Rashtra Samithi and YSRCP stood beside Na i du whore signed from the BJP, his party for more than 40 y ears. Sam ajwa di Party leader Mu lay am Singh Yadav supported him, Naidu said.
Both Naidu and Gandhi filed their nomination papers on Tuesday .“I wanted to work for the party and the government for ensuring re-election of Modi as PM...,” Naidu said. He met LK Advani at the latter’s home and went to Atal Behari Vajpayee’s house to seek his blessings.
At a meeting to felicitate Na i du, Prime Minister Na rend ra Modi mentioned how, in cabinet or party meetings, all agriculture-related issues had Naidu’s intervention .“He was not a minister for agriculture, but any agri- cultural policy will certainly have Naidu’s touch,” PM said.
Gandhi clarified on Monday why he sent petition to the President against capital punishment for Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon. He said he did so drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, who were against it as “the practice of capital punishment was medieval and wrong” .